Do we protect the past? Conserve what was in order to understand what is?

Molded by ancient hands, crafted with skill and powered by expression. Painted with both imagination and rules of design. Created with purpose.

Shall it remain in stasis, revered as a portal to a time and place that no longer exists?

A bold act . . .

2 of 3: Dropping a Han Dynasty UrnAi Weiwei 1995

Can we let go? Roots reach back and anchor a mindset. This we treasure as lessons learned, but the strings remain attached and grow taut. Are they the warp and weft of a safety net or the threads of a noose?

There is order in boundaries, rules, and ethics. Some mistaken comfort as freedom.

Release the ledger of what has come to pass and leave a blank page of infinite possibilities.

Where to begin . . .

3 of 3: Dropping a Han Dynasty UrnAi Weiwei 1995

Fragments mark a fragile break. Tradition, filial piety, and honored antiquity lay shattered at the feet of the living. Dust settles in the breath of the present. Not forgotten, just released.

Courageous or cowardly? Expression or defacement?

Innovative? Tragic?

Do we break what has already been broken, establish anew, or redefine as a whole?

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Words by c.b.w. 2013

Photographs captured at an exhibition entitled, “Ai Weiwei: According to What?”